


Ruby Red Heart

by SolusCrow



Series: Fleshing Out Sonic Forces [1]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Asphyxiation, Choking, Eggman is horrible, Gen, Manipulation, Non graphic violence, OC mentioned - Freeform, a more realistic motivation for Infinite to join Eggman than "I got bored", metal sonic appears briefly, the phantom ruby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2019-07-12 09:41:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15992588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolusCrow/pseuds/SolusCrow
Summary: The Jackal Squad was already on the map, but getting this strange "phantom Ruby" would really give them a leg up in this world.But they aren't strong enough.





	Ruby Red Heart

**Author's Note:**

> My OC Was is briefly mentioned but he isn't important. If you want context for him, basically he's just the Jackal Squad's housekeeper of sorts who snuck away when they joined Eggman. Maybe I'll flesh him out later.

They had insisted they were fine. 

 

The Captain knew better.

 

Surely they could take the droves of drones Eggman sent at them- he had faith in them, and the Jackal Squad weren’t the best marauders around for nothing. It was the pulsing gemstone Eggman clutched in his hands that worried the Captain.

 

_ I’ll get the gem, _ he whispered to them.  _ Eggman can’t have it. We’ll be out of here soon enough. Then we’ll be stronger than ever before. _

 

Doubt and worry gleamed in their eyes, but their warmth pressed steadfast beside him.

 

\---------------------------

 

The Phantom Ruby throbbed in his hands like a pulsing heart, and the Captain felt his beat in time.

 

_ What am I to do with it? _ He asked.

 

_ That’s what I’m figuring out, _ the Doctor had replied.

 

The Doctor had questioned him again and again about his history, his self, his desires. But one day, the Doctor came in with a smile, and one of the Squad behind him.

 

A robot held their neck in its hands, and their fingers clawed uselessly at the soulless steel. Their eyes shone with unshed tears. He was so, so proud of the brave face they put on.

 

_ What are you doing? _

 

_ Why, helping you, of course, _ the Doctor had replied. With a nod of his head, the robot started to squeeze.

 

His subordinate truly started to fight now, desperate gasps falling from their jaws as they thrashed. Tighter, tighter. The Captain launched himself forward. The Doctor  _ would _ kill them, for he was ruthless and strong, but the Captain was stronger, had to be, to  _ save _ them all-

 

Black cubes materialized in the air around him and swarmed the robot like a plague, and the robot’s emergence alarms all started going off at once as it was crushed and torn by an invisible force.

 

(The Captain saw, saw himself surrounded by red and so many of him, destroying the robot so it could never harm any of his Squad again.)

The Captain turned his back to the Doctor’s sinister smile as he held his shaking subordinate in his arms, their trembling warmth a stark reminder. Terror gleamed in the tears that fell from their eyes as they clung to him.

 

\---------------------------

 

They talked fearfully among themselves.  _ We must leave, _ they said.  _ He’s more than we can handle. He’s too strong, he’s too cruel, this is too much. Maybe Waz had the right idea. _

 

_ SIlence, _ he had said.  _ We are the Jackal Squad. We are the strongest there is. We can do this. I know you can do this. _

 

_ Turquoise almost died, _ they said.  _ We don’t know how far he’ll go before we get the Ruby. _

 

_ We will get it, _ he growled.  _ We are strong enough. I almost have it. _

 

Fear gleamed in their eyes, and they pressed themselves close.

 

Weakness.

 

\---------------------------

 

The robot shot him again, catching him across the chest. The Doctor watched with an evil smile. 

 

He lashed out once again with his khopesh, but the robot- Metal Sonic- caught the blade and sent him flying once more. The blade was bent beyond repair, warped by the sickening handprint of the machine.

 

The Ruby in his hand pulsed in time with his heart, and the blade was straight once more. There’s no time to question it, no time to think about the painful power in his chest that erupted from him in the form of a scream.

 

The robot glanced up at the Doctor, and retreated, satisfied.

 

Strength gleams in his eyes, while grief gleams in the eyes of the ones watching through the cold glow of the monitors.

 

The Doctor takes the Ruby once more.

 

\---------------------------

  
  


All he heard were the blares of the alarms and the shouts of a _black hedgehog,_ _Shadow, it can’t be anyone else._ All he saw were the forms of his Squad lying motionless around the room, the injuries and blood and bent limbs they carried. He roared to search for the one who did this, who hurt them. They weren’t strong enough, he neglected their training, his fault, but he would protect them.

 

The Ruby running through his blood wasn’t enough, he wasn’t strong enough, it wasn’t strong enough.

 

Empty coldness as his enemy left.

 

\---------------------------

 

(The Doctor grinned as he watched the rage pulse through his test subject, and thought,  _ yes, yes, this will do. _ And he ordered the robot behind him to  _ kill the jackals in the building. Make it look like Shadow did it. _ )

 

(He wasn’t strong enough, and they’re gone. All gone, every one left still loyal to him. He wasn’t enough, and if he wasn’t enough to protect them, how will he continue on? But pain pulsed through him, throbbed in his veins red, ruby red.  _ They _ will be enough, he thought, and he  _ screamd _ as it beat, beat,  _ beat _ with his heart,  _ was _ his heart, and yes,  _ yes, they will avenge the Squad.) _

  
  



End file.
